Which Marvel Comics Superhero Is Having a Same-Sex Wedding?

The X-Men has always been a comic franchise focused on telling stories about what it’s like to be different in a world where we’re all basically the same. And now, the ‘Astonishing X-Men’ comic reflects the reality of our society even more than it already did with an upcoming issue featuring a same-sex superhero wedding.

In an announcement briefly made during the Hot Topics segment of ‘The View,’ Marvel comics revealed that the openly gay X-Men character Northstar will propose to his long-time boyfriend Kyle in an issue of the comic that hits stores and newsstands this week. The two will wed in a future issue that will be released in June.

While this is the first time the story of a gay married couple has been explored in the pages of a Marvel comic, it’s not the first time we’ve seen this kind of story in comic books in general. The Northstar hero, also known as Jean-Paul Beaubier, was the first gay character to appear in Marvel comics, but the credit for being the first gay character in comics at all goes to Extrano from DC Comics all the way back in the '80s. (In a sign of the times, he was attacked by an "AIDS vampire" named Hemo-Goblin and contracted HIV.) Even the issue of gay marriage isn’t new to comics. Last year, Archie Comics married off their openly gay character Kevin Keller to his significant other.

As for the pending nuptials in ‘Astonishing X-Men,’ Marvel Editor-in-Chief Axel Alonso said in a press release, “The Marvel Universe has always reflected the world outside your window, so we strive to make sure our characters' relationships and stories are grounded in that reality.” The wedding issue, #51 in the series, will come out on June 20th with participating retailers celebrating by hosting wedding parties with exclusive items available. There will also be special edition “Create Your Own Wedding” covers on some of the comics so fans can create their own artwork. The nuptials will take place in New York City, despite the fact that Northstar is Canadian (he was a member of Alpha Flight, the Great White North's answer to The X-Men) and could've gotten married there since gay marriage has been legal in Canada since 2005.

See Northstar propose to Kyle in the pages of 'Astonishing X-Men' #50 below. Congrats to the happy couple!